This invention relates to component handling equipment. In particular, it relates to component handling equipment to handle components during electronic assembly. Even more particularly, the invention relates to a clip and a carrier for use during pick-and-place operations.
During electronic assembly, components such as central processing units (CPUs), heat spreaders, wave guides, interposers, and other such devices are required to be picked, brought together, transported, etc., during various stages of the assembly process.
To facilitate the handling of electronic components during electronic assembly, the components that require assembly, e.g., a CPU and a heat spreader, are picked by a pick-and-place machine and placed in a carrier, where the components are retained by a clip in a precise relative orientation. The components may then be subjected to various processes, e.g., adhesive and thermal solution cures.
It is important that the clip maintains the precise relative orientation of the components. As component sizes shrink, the precision and accuracy with which a clip is required to maintain the relative orientation of the component increases.